The present invention relates to the field of marine instrumentation and, more particularly, to an instrument for display of vessel navigation information, especially water depth.
Instruments for measuring parameters associated with vessel navigation, and for display of such information to the mariner are well known. Particularly useful is such an instrument for display of information related to the depth of the waters upon which a vessel navigates.
It is common practice for manufacturers of various vessel navigation instruments to apply to those instruments the trademarks and indicia of others who will sell the instruments at retail under their own house brands. However, it becomes cumbersome to manufacture various instruments under a number of different house brands, unless the manufacturer incorporates an easily changed component in the instrument which can bear the desired indicia.
With the foregoing in mind, the present invention advantageously provides a marine instrument having a removable face plate which allows for customizing the look of the instrument. The marine instrument comprises a housing; a processor positioned in the housing to process an input signal comprising vessel navigation information; a display positioned on the instrument face connected to the processor to display information processed from the input signal, the instrument face having at least one control switch extending outwardly from the face; a removable face plate having a display window, a front surface, and a back surface, the removable face plate having at least one substantially flexible raised portion along the front surface forming a complementary concavity along the back surface, so that when the face plate is positioned over the face of the instrument the concavity matingly receives therein the control switch, and so that the display is visible through the display window; and a bezel connected to the housing so as to hold the removable face plate thereon.